This invention relates to pulse detonation engines, and more particularly, to a swirler used in conjunction with the pulse detonation engine to enhance the pulse detonation engine operation.
In recent years, efforts to address the need of a combination of combustion systems to obtain a wide range of flight speeds for aircraft have led to the development of pulse detonation combustors, which can be used for propulsion applications including aircraft engines (as well as several other applications). When used on aircraft engines, pulse detonation engines aid in increasing the available flight speed range of an aircraft engine while reducing the fuel consumption.
Pulse detonation combustors operate using detonation or deflagration waves, created by combusting a mixture of gas (typically air) and a fuel in a confined volume. The detonation/deflagration waves exit the pulse detonation combustor tube as pulses, thus providing thrust. A main challenge with current pulse detonation combustors relates to achieving a relatively high frequency of operation (i.e. pulses) along with high mass flow throughput and low pressure drop. This can be achieved by minimizing the time needed for each process in the pulse detonation cycle.
Key processes that influence the cycle time include the mixing of the continuous air throughput with the injected fuel prior to detonation, and the uniformity of the stoichiometric mixture throughout the tube. Proper fuel-air mixture is important for successful and efficient operation of a pulse detonation engine. Thus efforts have been made to optimize the fuel-air mixing process, including using opposing jets of fuel and air, turbulence enhancing screens and straight flow fuel injector manifolds. However, there is still a need to improve the mixing of the fuel-air mixture.